Raven had started to feel exhausted after walking for a long time. The pace of the mission, combined with carrying Miles on his back for such a long distance, had taken a toll on him. In the depths of the forest, he placed Miles by a tree and leaned against another tree himself. They didn’t speak a word; both were tired and had said enough already.

For a while, they silently watched the sky. Then, Raven broke the silence of nature and spoke: “How much of your Mana has replenished?”

Miles looked at his hands, and a fireball appeared in his palm. Watching the flames dance in his hand, he answered: “I think about a quarter.”

Raven turned his eyes back up to the swaying tree branches and leaves above. The moonlight filtered through the branches, managing to reach them both. The atmosphere around them was peaceful; a light breeze gently shook the leaves. Normally, it might have seemed like an insignificant detail, but Raven’s instincts couldn’t ignore it. Deep within his chest, an indescribable feeling began to swell: danger.

Something was wrong. It was as if the forest itself had stopped breathing. The birds had stopped singing, and the wind had ceased. Only a bare silence remained, along with a disturbing energy within it. Raven’s shoulders involuntarily tensed. He turned his gaze to Miles: “Something’s coming,” he said.

Miles also looked around. It was clear that he was uneasy. “I thought I was the only one who noticed,” he muttered.

From the darkness, footsteps could be heard. The forest had become so silent that it seemed as though nothing else existed except for these footsteps. Each step shook the ground. As the sound grew closer, Raven and then Miles began to see the terrifying figure. It was about three meters tall. Its mouth stretched from ear to ear, and every tooth looked as sharp as a knife. The head of the black figure kept moving; it seemed to want to pull back, but its body and feet continued to step forward.

As the figure fully entered their line of sight, the strange sounds it made became more pronounced. In a hoarse whisper, it repeatedly murmured the same words: “Ru-run... No escape…”

Raven and Miles instinctively jumped up and took a defensive stance. When Raven stood, the size difference reminded him of Edward Hunter. However, this creature was even larger than him. Miles turned to the Raven beside him and whispered: “Run in a random direction. I’ll tell you what happened when we meet up. I promise.”

Though Raven was very disturbed by the situation, he knew they had no other choice. They both dashed in different directions and disappeared into the darkness. The figure first looked to its right, then to its left, and closed itself off. Then, it lifted its head and let out a scream so loud it could be heard from the other side of the forest. The roots of the trees trembled, and the birds fled in fear. Afterward, with a single leap, it vanished into the darkness, heading toward Raven’s direction.

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As Miles ran through the forest, his heart was pounding so hard it felt like it might burst from his chest. Neither he nor Raven was ready for such a fight. He knew the speed of the thing chasing them; that’s why he had decided to run in different directions. If they were to die, at least they shouldn’t die together. He hoped the creature would follow him. He could buy some time with his speed spell, but Raven didn’t have such an advantage. If the creature was chasing Raven, he might already be dead.

As Raven ran at full speed through the forest, he once again felt that unsettling sensation behind him. The creature was closing in so fast that it could have been the fastest thing he had ever seen in his life. At some point, Raven would have no choice but to fight. The worst part was, he had no weapon but his fists.

With a massive thud, Raven realized that running was useless. The creature was now right on his tail. The sound of its breathing echoed through the stillness of the forest, and it repeated the same sentence: “Ru-run... No escape…”

It reached out one of its hands to grab Raven. However, thanks to his instincts, Raven managed to leap aside, evading the arm. “Yeah, bastard! You must be surprised. No matter how fast you are, you can't outrun my instincts!”

As the creature continued chasing him, it began to laugh. It seemed to understand what he said. Raven also chuckled, but this time the creature’s arm extended, whipping out like a lash, flying several meters forward, and then retracting in the shape of a sickle.

“Shit…” Raven muttered his last words as the creature’s arm swept him up and hurled him into a tree.

Raven, if he had been in his prime, could have avoided such an attack. But right now, he was utterly exhausted, and the creature’s effective range was enormous. After crashing into the tree, Raven fell to the ground, and the creature began walking toward him. It extended its arm again, grabbed Raven by the throat, and pulled him toward itself.

The creature wore an expression as if mocking him. Its enormous white eyes and a mouth nearly as big as its face. Raven tried to struggle, but as he pushed against its hand, it felt as if he were trying to push against a wall. He was struggling to breathe because his throat was being squeezed, and when he hit the tree, several of his internal organs had been damaged. Blood dripped from his mouth.

“Who are you?” he gasped.

Without saying a word, the creature opened its mouth. Its mouth was large enough to swallow Raven whole. Though Raven felt like this was the end, his instincts were telling him he would survive. As the creature brought its head nearly inside its mouth, it was struck by a fireball to the head.

“Sorry, buddy. If I had come sooner, you wouldn’t have had to see this ugly creature’s tonsil.”

When the creature stopped chasing Miles for a while, Miles, knowing its speed, realized something was wrong and began running in the opposite direction. Even though he was late, he was happy to have found him, and seemed more relieved than Raven.